Acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS) are serious conditions resulting in millions of hospitalizations each year. AHFS treatments can include pharmacologic inotrope administration—however side effects of such treatments, including arrhythmias and increased myocardial oxygen demand, can contribute to patient mortality. Additional treatments include administration of diuretics to treat pulmonary edema resulting from AHFS.
The autonomic nervous system includes the parasympathetic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system have somewhat opposing effects on the cardiovascular system. One function of the parasympathetic nervous system is to slow the heart through action of the vagus nerve. On the other hand, the sympathetic nervous system is associated with increasing the heart rate and increasing the contractility of the heart. The disclosed system and method may be used to augment balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems in AHFS patents so as to lower heart rate, elevate heart rate and/or increase heart contractility.